British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to shore up his leadership on Tuesday by setting out a raft of new policies to ministers after he narrowly survived a confidence vote that revealed the scale of the threat to his position.
Johnson won the ballot of Conservative Party law-makers on Monday evening by 211 votes to 148 – enough to avoid having to immediately resign.
However, a larger than anticipated rebellion within his party leaves him wounded and battling to win back the confidence of his colleagues and the general public.
Analysts say his first challenge is to convince his most senior allies, some of whom would have been likely to run to replace him if he had been forced out, that he will be able to move on from questions about his leadership.
Johnson thanked cabinet ministers for their support as he urged them to push through reforms to lower costs for consumers, businesses and government.
Lawmakers in Johnson’s party called the confidence vote after months of scandal over lockdown-breaking parties at the heart of government and criticism of his response to an inflation-fueled surge in the cost of living.
At issue is Johnson’s integrity. His opponents accuse him of being a habitual liar and he faces an investigation into whether he mislead parliament in his explanations over the series of parties held in Downing Street – his office and residence – while Britons were following strict lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnson’s office said he would use the cabinet meeting to set out his vision for the coming weeks, including new policies to reduce the cost of childcare and to help more people buy their own homes.
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